Concussion noun. temporary period of unconsciousness or incapacity due to head injuries

~Eve~

Things have gone from 'avoidance' to 'magnificently' tense. Our home feels anything but stable. Even our wretched secrets are a better place to dwell in. Whitney seems to have become twenty years older, and Simone silently blames herself for it all.

T.C- well T.C is always T.C- 'terribly cold-blooded'. We haven't confronted each other about our pasts yet, but he still has no idea that I have found him out. So he frequently gives me various glares. Oh T.C- we sure do have a lot of explaining to do. I wonder which ends of the world we'll end up after that.

Thinking about explaining, I think now is just the right time for it. We are sitting in the lounge room watching television, all of us probably in our own little planets.

I reach for the remote and switch the damn thing off. It's a good thing that Whitney isn't here. It would break the poor girl to see us fighting…

"OK T.C, I'm sure we've all had enough of this. Let's bring it out to the open, no matter what's going to happen next. Simone honey, you're going to learn how imperfect both your parents are, tonight…"

"Imperfect? If there's anyone who's completely imperfect, that would be you!" growls T.C, banging his fist on the coffee table. Oh yeah, wait till I give it to him…

"How so?" I inquire casually.

"You- you betrayed me!" He says through gritted teeth. "God knows who you had that affair with, but it's followed you faithfully hasn't it? Your bastard kid nearly married Whitney!" Go ahead and grumble on, T.C. You're going to get the shock of your life very soon…

"First of all, Thornton- Chandler, I was never the perfect little debutante girl you imagined me to be. I had a rough and hard life before I took some control of it. And have you ever wondered where Whitney got her talent for singing from?" I ask quietly, circling him.

"From me," replies the wretch. "I'm a man of talent, and it's no surprise that my daughter obviously inherited some of it…"

"Please don't flatter yourself!" I cry impatiently. "The whole flamin' town knows you can't sing a note! It's me she's got it from. I used to be a lounge- singer. I used to sing for all the people you hate so much. My parents weren't the millionaires like you thought, either! They were poorer than yours. So poor I was left to fend for myself after their deaths!"

Simone is shaking her head regretfully. And T.C is shaking with anger.

"No, no, no!" He hisses. "You? You were a lounge whore?"

"Don't use such language in this home, T.C!" I shout. "I was a singer! Dyu' hear me?  I gave up my dreams for you, you useless nothing! And by way of saying 'thank you', you had to go and cheat on me while we were married! With my sister!"

I watch bitterly as his eyes grow wide with shock and his mouth opens and closes shut like a carnival clown [a/n: is that what u call it???]. Yes, that's exactly what I must have looked like when I realised it too, T.C. For a second, I expect him to deny it, but he knows better.

Simone gasps and runs to me. "Mom! It isn't true, is it Mom? Dad too… Liz? Please tell me it isn't!"

"I'm sorry honey, I can't," I reply tearfully. "It's all true. Painfully true."

"That was when you were in hospital and I was feeling so…" he begins aimlessly.

"I know what really happened, you don't have to tell me!" I scream, crying.

He gets up and clenches his fists. "… but you lied to me too, dammit! How can you defend yourself? Oh god, I married a goddamn illusion!"

"Well that's not much compared to your hypocrisy! To think how much you hurt your own son!" I manage to counter.

"Don't! He's not my son!"

"He is! Stop denying what's true!"

"Omigosh, what is this? Jerry Springer in my own house?" cries Simone, starting to leave the room.

"I'll tell you who it was, I'll tell you who I still love in my heart. It's Julian…"

I don't get the chance to continue. T.C bellows and rushes at me like a mad bull. The last thing I'm aware of is being pushed backwards and the low 'thud' that follows…

*****

A/N: lyrics (at the end) are Blink 182's I Miss You. Not mine. Unfortunately!

~Beth~

He's gone and I'm alone, beaten and ashamed. I went crazy for his love, I tried to murder his lover and kidnap her child, but where has that all got me? I should've known that I was like an ant against a mountain lion. I should've known that mine was a lost cause. But I didn't, and now I feel more lonely and miserable than I have ever been before…

I wear that permanently sketched waitress's smile on my face and serve the customers. I wish I could leave the Book Café, Harmony and all the bitter memories it has left with me.  I know I'll leave it someday…

"That would be ten- fifty," I say brightly, receiving the payment from Customer X. I used know every single one of them, now it's blah, blah, blah. Who cares? They're just customers. "Thank you! Please come again." Whatever. That's what I'm supposed to say, so I say it.

I turn back to the cappuccino- maker to make the hundredth (so it seems) coffee. I take two cups to Table 5. Yes. I used to love my job. I notice that the people sitting there are Hank and Pilar. But I just give them a short 'hi'. They murmur between themselves when I leave for the kitchen, but I don't look back. There's a Lopez- Fitzgerald at that table. And that only means one thing to me…

I run my fingers down the spine of his favourite book, Message in a Bottle. I feel like clutching it to my breast and throwing it in a fire at the same time.

What do you call this unnamed feeling?

I hardly notice that I unconsciously pushed the book forwards, creating a domino effect on the twenty or so books sitting on the shelf. They progressively fall over. As I turn to rectify the mess I've made, I notice the figure of a man crouching there, unmoving.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" I exclaim, rushing to his side. "Are you alright?"

Without looking at me, he slowly puts his hands to his head and groans quietly.

Ouch.

"…dizzy…" Omigod that voice… "The books fell on my head." Ow.

I help him up embarrassedly and he raises his head.

It's not him, it's his older brother. I'm surrounded by Lopez- Fitzgeralds.

"Uh, Tony, should I call a doctor?" I ask shakily, wishing I could disappear.

"No. No, just give me some ice, Beth. Should I have to pay for that?" He jokes, rubbing his head.

I laugh nervously and head back towards the kitchen.

I return with the ice, only to see him lying unconscious on the floor. For a moment, I'm unable to take my eyes off him. I'm strangely grateful that I'm seeing the reminiscence of a face I've gazed into so many times. With such a hopeless hope. Cursing at myself for thinking about it, I quickly reach for the phone…

~ Hello there

   The angel from my nightmare.

   The shadow in the background of the morgue

   The unsuspecting victim of darkness in the valley…~

*****

A/N: I can't say I'm a Blink 182 fan, but I thought the song kind of fits the section… well plz. keep reviewing {hands out Tim- Tams to everyone}! Tell me if there should be more BethAntonio or not (becoz they might end up sounding similar to Therox?) I only want those two together coz: 1) (I think) They look 'together'   2) Their adopted son is a main character in the sequel. BTW can anyone plz tell me what AU and OC stand for? Stupid question, but I have no clue what they stand for… Well lata then! Luv yooz!

P.S. Therox next chapter- so therox fans u can't hate me!

kayox:  Foxay eh? Well… I could make it a foxay ;) sorry for being annoying!

El Diablo Firestarter: Thankies! Yeah… I'm a fan of sexual tension too {blushes   

                 furiously} I just hope I can write it as well as others can! Thanx very much

                 4 ur review- love ya!

MahoganyMiss: Lol. Well u'll see some unique Charimmy (naughty 2!) pretty soon,    

                            pal! Thanx u make my day!

Lady- Cherry: {throws a party 4 u} Hehe. I'm mortally afraid of being biased. 

                          Should I foxay? Lol. Thanx Lady- u rock! :)

svata2004: Thanx sveta! :)

Trinity Day: I'm glad u thought the foxay was good! Thank u for ur comments!

XqUiSiTe ChErRy: I'm glad I'm doing something right lol. Yeah Miguel no so nice

                                  huh? Ah, but that Jesse Metcalfe is a bit of a hottie… Thanx 4 ur

                                  review babe! It cheered me up! :)